I’m writing in response to the claim by one of the opinion writers at the Northern Star that the war on Iraq was “unilateral.”

I would ask my liberal friend who believes the war against Iraq was unilateral to consult a dictionary for the word “sovereignty.” I imagine the use of a dictionary will be required because that word does not exist in the liberal lexicon – and where it does exist, it carries a negative connotation. For those who don’t know, sovereignty means statehood and the ability to conduct the affairs of state without external influence.

The United Nations doesn’t care about the security of the United States. If they had, they would grant the United States permission or aid the United States in the persecution of terrorist regimes. The U.N. strikes me as an organization filled with lesser countries trying to assert their will on the United States, without caring what happens to America. Consider that a few years ago, this same U.N. removed the United States from the Human Rights Board and retained Cuba. This move was actually lauded by several members of the U.N., who suggested the United States deserved it. Think of it: Cuba was on the panel deciding human rights, and we weren’t.

The thing that bothers me is that the left loves the U.N. Clinton thought nothing of contributing our military to conflicts lacking strategic importance. It’s funny; he sends ground troops to Serbia at the U.N.’s request but won’t use the same ground troops against Saddam. Guess which sort of function these troops are trained for, the former or latter? Our soldiers are weapons of war, not cops. We should not be the world’s policemen. Didn’t the founding fathers tell us to avoid “entangling alliances”?

The United States, above all, has to ensure its survival and its prosperity. We can’t very well do that if we are at the mercy of terrorists, who were funded by Saddam. Is it that much of a stretch to think that some of his money or arms might be going toward al-Qaida? By having a proactive and aggressive military policy, we can persecute the terrorist threat from whatever cave they operate from and can help the United States thrive.

Jason Briski

Senior, chemistry